Next Game
Creighton (20-6, 9-5 MVC) looks to snap a rare three-game losing streak when it heads to Evansville, Ind., to take on Evansville (14-12, 7-7 MVC) on Saturday.
Tip-off at Ford Center (11,000) is scheduled for 2 pm.

Radio Broadcast Information
KXSP (“AM 590 - Omaha’s ESPN Radio”) will broadcast all Creighton men’s basketball games during the 2012-13 season, including Saturday. T. Scott Marr and Nick Bahe will call the action. The audio is also webcast live at www.AM590espnradio.com.

Live Stats Information
All of Creighton’s games this season will have free live stats. Visit www.gocreighton.com and click on the Live Stats tab on the top of the page for a link the exact URL.
Home games can also be followed by those who have mobile devices with internet capability at www.gocreightonstats.com.

Scouting Creighton
Creighton is 20-6 this season, including non-conference wins over Wisconsin, Arizona State, UAB, Saint Joseph’s, Nebraska, Akron, Cal and Tulsa. The Jays have lost three straight games and are 3-5 after a 17-1 start.
After being named First Team All-American a year ago, junior forward Doug McDermott (23.0 ppg., 7.7 rpg.) has lived up to extensive preseason hype and was named the Midseason National Player of the Year by Dick Vitale, Seth Davis, Mike DeCourcy and Andy Katz (among others). McDermott has been named MVC Player of the Week six times this year and is 50-for-96 from three-point range in the past 20 games.
Second on the team in scoring is senior center Gregory Echenique (9.7 ppg., 7.0 rpg., 1.7 bpg.). Echenique has led the MVC in blocked shots each of the past two years.
Creighton also boasts a veteran backcourt consisting of Grant Gibbs (8.6 ppg., 5.7 apg., 4.2 rpg.), Austin Chatman (8.0 ppg., 4.4 apg.) and Jahenns Manigat (5.8 ppg.). Gibbs and Chatman rank 1-2 in the MVC in assists, while Manigat led The Valley in league play in three-point percentage a year ago.
Creighton’s bench is led by sharpshooter Ethan Wragge (8.1 ppg.), who is third in the MVC with 60 three-pointers made and has drilled six three-pointers in a game on three occasions this season.
Creighton leads the nation in three-point percentage (.427), is second in field goal percentage (.507), third in three-pointers per game (9.3), fourth in assists per game (17.4), fifth in assist/turnover ratio (1.43) and sixth in points (1,999), while also outrebounding foes by 5.6 caroms a game. CU scores 76.9 points per game.

Scouting Evansville
Evansville is 14-12 on the season, including a 12-2 home mark and a 2-10 road mark. The Purple Aces have lost four of their past six, with both victories in that span coming in overtime.
Colt Ryan leads the Purple Aces, averaging 18.9 points per game. Ryan was a first-team all-MVC pick a year ago after finishing 11th nationally in scoring (20.5 ppg.). He owns a solid 92/47 assist/turnover ratio this winter, and has scored 20 or more in 11 of the past 15 games.
Also scoring in double-figures is Ned Cox (11.2 ppg.). Three other men score between 6-8 points per game, a group headed by freshman DJ Balentine (8.1 ppg.).
The Purple Aces are averaging 68.0 points per game and yield 65.4 points per contest.

The CoachesGreg McDermott (Northern Iowa, 1988) is in his third season as head coach at Creighton. He led CU to a 29-6 mark last year, and is now 72-28 with the Bluejays. McDermott has previously been a head coach at Iowa State (2006-10), Northern Iowa (2001-06), North Dakota State (2000-01) and Wayne State (1994-2000). He owns a career mark of 352-222 in 19 seasons and is 221-159 in 12 Division I campaigns. McDermott is assisted by Darian DeVries, Steve Lutz and Steve Merfeld.
Evansville is coached by Marty Simmons, now in his sixth year with the Purple Aces. Simmons owns a record of 179-173 in 12 years as a head coach, and is 81-100 with the Purple Aces. He is assisted by Jimmy Elgas, Geoff Alexander and Carson Harris.

The Series With Evansville
Creighton leads the all-time series with Evansville by a 28-10 margin, including a 10-8 mark in Evansville.
The Jays have won nine of the past 10 meetings and 15 of the last 17 encounters in the series at all sites. Twelve of the last 19 games have been decided by single-digits.
Creighton won the MVC opener for both teams, 87-70, in Omaha on Dec. 29th.
Creighton coach Greg McDermott is 12-5 against Evansville (5-1 as Creighton head coach) and 5-1 against Marty Simmons at the Division I level. Simmons is 2-10 against Creighton.
Creighton’s series history vs. Evansville can be found on page 11 of these notes.

Last Game Recap
Northern Iowa used a game-ending 18-6 run to defeat Creighton, 61-54, in Cedar Falls on Wednesday. Jake Koch scored UNI’s final nine points and 11 of the last 14 to pace the Panthers. Doug McDermott led the Jays with 15 points and 12 rebounds.

What To Watch For
A few facts and figures to keep an eye on during Saturday’s game.
-Creighton seeks its 10th win in the past 11 meetings vs. Evansville.
-Creighton seeks its 17th straight season with 10 or more league wins.
-Creighton seeks to avoid its first four-game losing streak in MVC play since 1995.
-Gregory Echenique owns 249 career blocked shots (155 at Creighton), and is one shy of 250.
-Doug McDermott is two points shy of joining Bob Portman as the second player in CU history with multiple years of 600 points.
-Doug McDermott is four points shy of passing Chad Gallagher (1,983) for third place on Creighton’s all-time scoring list.
-Doug McDermott owns 1,980 career points and is 20 shy of becoming the 15th player in MVC history (and first junior) to reach 2,000 career points.

Been Here Before And Answered The Bell
Creighton doesn’t have many three-game losing streaks, but (like this year) did lose games No. 24, 25 and 26 last season as well.
That team snapped the three-game win streak with a big win on the road (88-69 at Southern Illinois) while shooting an MVC-record 77.5 percent from the field (31-40). The Jays followed that with a crucial BracketBusters win vs. a team from California (Long Beach State), would win its final two regular-season games, and win the MVC Tournament. The Jays then defeated Alabama in the NCAA Tournament before North Carolina snapped CU’s seven-game win streak in the third round of the NCAA’s.

Rare Losing Streak
Creighton looks to avoid a rare four-game losing streak on Saturday. Creighton hasn’t lost four straight games since Dec. 23, 1999 - Jan. 6, 2000 and hasn’t lost four MVC games in a row since 1995.

Reasons For Optimism
Creighton’s three-game losing streak, though rare, doesn’t mean there’s not time to right the ship. Consider the following championship teams from the past 24 months, and how they were able to recover:
2011 New York Giants (NFL) - Lost 4 in a row during weeks 11-14...won Super Bowl.
2010-11 Indiana State Sycamores (MBB) - Fell to 12-12 on the season (7-6 in the MVC) with its fifth straight loss on Feb. 5, 2011, only to rebound to win the MVC Tournament title.
2010-11 Connecticut Huskies (MBB) - Went 4-7 from Jan. 29-March 5...won NCAA title.
2010-11 Dallas Mavericks (NBA) - Three different losing streaks of 3 or more...won NBA title.
2010-11 Boston Bruins (NHL) - Three different losing streaks of 3 or more...won Stanley Cup.
2011 St. Louis Cardinals (MLB)- Six different losing streaks of 3 or more...won World Series.
2011-12 Creighton Bluejays (MBB) - Lost three games in early February...won next seven including MVC Tournament and NCAA Second Round game.
2011-12 Los Angeles Kings (NHL) - Two different three-game losing streaks...won Stanley Cup.
2011-12 Miami Heat (NBA) - Twice lost three straight games in strike-shortened season, then had to rally from a 3-2 deficit in Eastern Conference finals vs. Boston...won NBA title.
2012 San Francisco Giants (MLB) - Had five losing streaks of three or more and lost first two games in best-of-5 NLDS series at home...won World Series.
2012 Baltimore Ravens (NFL) - Lost in weeks 13, 14 and 15...won Super Bowl.

The Race To 2,000
After not having a player surpass 2,000 career points since 2003, the MVC could have two players do it in the span of six days this week. Evansville’s Colt Ryan did it on Feb. 10th vs. Drake in his 117th career contest, and Creighton’s Doug McDermott (in 100 games) isn’t far behind at 1,980.
Below is a list of the all the players in MVC history to 2,000 career points, the quickest MVC players to reach 2,000 points, and a listing of the nation’s players since 1995-96 to reach 2,000 career points in less than 102 career games, and some other notable players nationwide who reached 2,000 career points with how long it took them to reach the milestone.
All-Time MVC Scoring Leaders
Rk. Name, School Points
1. Hersey Hawkins, Bradley 3,008
2. Oscar Robertson, Cincinnati 2,973
3. Larry Bird, Indiana State 2,850
4. John S. Williams, Indiana State 2,374
5. Mitchell Anderson, Bradley 2,341
6. Steve Harris, Tulsa 2,272
7. Cleo Littleton, Wichita State 2,164
8. Xavier McDaniel, Wichita State 2,152
9. Rodney Buford, Creighton 2,116
10. Bob Harstad, Creighton 2,110
11. Roger Phegley, Bradley 2,064
12. Marcus Wilson, Evansville 2,053
13. Colt Ryan, Evansville 2,048
14. Kent Williams, Southern Illinois 2,012

More About 2,000 Points
Some additional notes about the 2,000 point club.
-Before Colt Ryan did it on Feb. 10th, the MVC’s last player to score 2,000 points in a career was Southern Illinois’ Kent Williams (1999-2003).
-Should both Colt Ryan and Doug McDermott reach 2,000 points this season, it’ll be just the third time that the MVC has had two men join the 2,000 point club in the same season. It happened in 1984-85 (Steve Harris & Xavier McDaniel), then again in 1998-99 (Rodney Buford & Marcus Wilson).
-Ryan’s Evansville team hosts McDermott’s Creighton team on Saturday. That day could be the first time since March 1, 1999 that two players in the faced each other as members of the 2,000 point club. That match-up was also between Creighton & Evansville, as Rodney Buford’s CU team defeated Marcus Wilson’s UE squad in the 1999 MVC Tournament final. Buford had 21 points, while Wilson scored 16.
-If Doug McDermott gets to 2,000 points this season, he’d become the first player in MVC history to reach that milestone during his junior season. The only other men to reach 2,000 in three years were Larry Bird and Oscar Robertson, though both men played their sophomore through senior seasons at their respective schools.

Chasing HistoryDoug McDermott has scored 21 or more points in 18 of the season’s 26 games, moving up to fourth on Creighton’s all-time scoring list with 1,980 career points.
At McDermott’s current scoring average of 23.0 points per game this year he’ll become Creighton’s all-time leading scorer in six more games. Creighton has a minimum of six games remaining this season.
By comparison, both of Creighton’s top two all-time leading scorers, Rodney Buford (1995-99) and Bob Harstad (1987-91), had exactly 1,540 points at the end of their junior seasons.
McDermott is within range to make huge gains on both the MVC and Creighton scoring charts should he continue his recent productivity.
All-Time MVC Scoring Leaders
Rk. Name, School Points
1. Hersey Hawkins, Bradley 3,008
10. Bob Harstad, Creighton 2,110
11. Roger Phegley, Bradley 2,064
12. Marcus Wilson, Evansville 2,053
13. Colt Ryan, Evansville* 2,048
14. Kent Williams, Southern Illinois 2,012
15. Chad Gallagher, Creighton 1,983
16. Doug McDermott, Creighton* 1,980
17. Chet Walker, Bradley 1,975
*active

10 Conference Wins x 16
Last season’s Creighton team extended its MVC record by winning 10 or more league games for a 16th consecutive season.
On a national basis, the only other current school with at least 16 straight years of 10 or more league wins is Kansas (18).
Each of the last 16 seasons has seen the team finish fourth place or better in the MVC as well.
Creighton can reach 10 MVC wins with a win on Saturday at Evansville.

Johnson & More Johnson
Redshirt freshman guard Nevin Johnson has seen his role increase in recent weeks. The Houston, Texas, native has scored 21 points in the past three games after scoring 23 total points in CU’s first 23 games.
Johnson had nine points and four rebounds vs. Illinois State last Saturday night, then had three points and four rebounds at UNI on Wednesday. Creighton outscored UNI the Panthers 32-21 in the 19:04 with Johnson on the floor on Wednesday.

Would A Full House Trump The Aces?
Evansville is averaging 4,292 fans per home game this season, with a high of 6,302 vs. Murray State on Dec. 8th. If Saturday’s game at Ford Center sells out, it won’t be anything that Creighton hasn’t seen before.
Creighton has played in front of 10 sellout crowds this season (7 at home, as well as Nebraska, Wichita State and Northern Iowa).
Last year’s Creighton team also played in front of 10 capacity crowds.

Toughest Thing in Sports?
Creighton is in the midst of a stretch where it plays four of five games on the road, where it’ll look to do something (win) that even the nation’s best college basketball squads have trouble doing.
The 25 college basketball teams that were ranked in AP poll on Jan. 18th are 44-51 since then in true road games (through Feb. 14).

Even The Best Have Stumbled
Creighton started the season 20-6, but is 5-5 in its last 10 games. Of the nation’s top-50 RPI teams (thru 2/13), Creighton is one of six teams that are 5-5 or worse in its past 10 games.

Bright Lights, Big Wins
Creighton is 37-19 in its last 56 games on ESPN, ESPN2 or ESPNU, and will be making its sixth appearance of the year on a World Wide Leader network on Saturday.
In these 56 ESPN-affiliated appearances, Creighton is 34-11 when scoring 62 points or more, but just 3-8 when scoring 61 points or less.Doug McDermott is averaging 25.8 points and 9.2 rebounds per game in five appearances on ESPN2/ESPNU this season.
Below is CU’s recent results on the ESPN family of networks:
Network Home Road Neutral Total
ESPN 2-1 2-0 4-0 8-1
ESPN2 9-4 5-7 2-1 16-12
ESPNU 9-0 3-4 1-2 13-6
Total 20-5 10-11 7-3 37-19

A Jolt Of Colt
Evansville senior Colt Ryan has always been one of the MVC’s top scorers, and has traditionally saved some of his best performances for Creighton.
He’s set a career-high in points in three of the eight meetings vs. Creighton, putting together contests of 26, 31, 16, 20, 14, 43, 13 and 25 points for an average of 23.5 points per game. Ryan has also made at least 50 percent of his field goal attempts in five of those eight games.
Despite the individual success, Ryan has been on the losing end of the scoreboard in seven of the eight games vs. Creighton.

The Ryan Express
Creighton could not stop Evansville guard Colt Ryan last year during one memorable night in Omaha. Ryan scored an arena record 43 points, making 17-of-24 attempts, before coming up empty on a potential game-winning shot at the end of overtime.
Ryan’s 43 points were the most allowed by the Jays since Nebraska-Kearney’s Bart Kofoed scored 43 points against CU on Dec. 21, 1985.
Evansville is 4-0 in overtime games since that setback.

Remember Me?
Now an assistant coach at Creighton, Steve Merfeld has great familiarity with Evansville. Merfeld was head coach of the Purple Aces from 2002-07, where he coached four All-MVC players and won 54 games.
Since taking assistant coach positions at Bradley and Creighton after leaving Evansville, Merfeld’s teams has won eight of 10 games against UE.

A Chance To Recover?
Creighton has lost its last three games, as the national leader in field goal percentage has shot just 40.7 from the field and 25.0 percent from three-point range, well below its averages of 52.0 percent (overall) and 44.9 percent (from 3) in the first 23 games.
If you’re a believer that the Jays are due, you’ll be happy to know that Evansville allows teams to shoot 45.2 percent from the field (271st-best defense nationally) and 36.1% from three-point range (276th-best defense nationally).
In the last three meetings with Evansville, Creighton is 12-24 (Dec. 29, 2012), 12-for-23 (March 3, 2012) and 10-for-17 (Feb. 21, 2012) from three-point range. In CU’s only previous trip to Ford Center, the Jays shot 4-of-22 from deep and fell 65-57.

Don’t I Know You?Doug McDermott faced off with Evansville big man Egidijus Mockevicius twice in the summer of 2011 with the U19 USA National Team.
Prior to the U19 World Championship, both men faced each other in an exhibition game in Lithuania. McDermott had 15 points and seven rebounds, while Mockevicius had nine points and seven rebounds in a 108-75 Lithuania win.
Once the tournament began, McDermott had 13 points and eight rebounds, while Mockevicius had three rebounds in seven minutes in Team USA’s 107-105 overtime win.
In the Omaha meeting earlier this season, McDermott had 29 points and 10 rebounds, while Mockevicius finished with four points and one rebound.

Supporting CastDoug McDermott is Creighton’s only player averaging in double-figures, but he’s had lots of support to help lead the Jays to 20 wins already.
Creighton is 12-1 when Gregory Echenique (9.7 ppg.) scores in double-figures this year.
Creighton is 9-0 when Ethan Wragge (8.1 ppg.) scores in double-figures this year.
Creighton is 6-1 when Austin Chatman (8.0 ppg.) scores in double-figures this year.
Creighton is 5-1 when Jahenns Manigat (5.8 ppg.) scores in double-figures this year.

Poll Position
Creighton is ranked 23rd in this week’s USA Today Coaches poll, but fell out of the Associated Press top-25 poll after a pair of losses last week, dropping to 30th.
This snaps Creighton’s program-record streak of 17 straight weeks in the AP’s top-25 that had broken the mark of 15 weeks in a row held by the 2002-03 squad.
Creighton’s best AP ranking this year was 11th on Nov. 26th, and its best caoches poll rank was 10th.
Creighton was ranked 15th in this year’s preseason coaches poll, its first preseason recognition since coming in at No. 23 in 2006-07.
Creighton started this year with a No. 16 preseason ranking by the AP, its highest preseason mark in program history and the best by any MVC school since No. 6 Wichita State in 1981-82.
Including the February 11th poll, Creighton has been ranked 26 times in 52 weeks of polls under Greg McDermott, and ranked between 26th-to-28th in five other polls. The 26 weeks in the top-25 under McDermott is more than any coach in Bluejay history.
Coaches Spending Most Weeks in Top 25 at CUGreg McDermott, 2010-Pres. 26 (of 52)
Dana Altman, 1994-2010 18
Tom Apke, 1974-81 5
Eddie Sutton, 1969-74 5

Where There’s A Will
One bright spot in the Feb. 6 game at Indiana State was the play of reserve center Will Artino. Artino tied a career-high with 13 points, making all five of his field goal attempts and adding three free throws, two rebounds and a steal.
Artino is now shooting 32-for-49 on the year (65.3 percent) from the field, and has made 18 of his last 19 attempts from the floor in his past 12 games.

Historically After 12 MVC Games
Creighton was 9-3 in the MVC after its 12th game of the league slate. This is the 18th straight season that Creighton has had a league record of .500 or better after 12 games, and each of the previous 17 campaigns the Jays would also go .500 or better in its final six contests as well.
Year W-L After 12 W-L Final 6
2012-13 9-3 0-2 so far
2011-12 11-1 3-3
2010-11 6-6 4-2
2009-10 7-5 3-3
2008-09 8-4 6-0
2007-08 7-5 3-3
2006-07 9-3 4-2
2005-06 9-3 3-3
2004-05 6-6 5-1
2003-04 9-3 3-3
2002-03 11-1 4-2
2001-02 10-2 4-2
2000-01 8-4 6-0
1999-00 7-5 4-2
1998-99 7-5 4-2
1997-98 8-4 4-2
1996-97 7-5 3-3
1995-96 6-6 3-3
Total 136-68 (.667) 66-38 (.635)

20 Wins, Again
Creighton has won 20 or more games for the 14th time in the last 15 seasons, an unprecedented feat in Missouri Valley Conference history that puts the Jays among an exclusive group, nationally.
Entering this season, just five schools nationally have had 20 or more wins each of the last 14 years: Duke, Florida, Gonzaga, Kansas and Syracuse.
Creighton was one of six schools to enter this season with 20 or more wins in exactly 13 of the past 14 years. That list consists of Creighton, Kent State, Kentucky, Texas, Utah State and Xavier.
That’s better than traditional powers Arizona, Connecticut and Memphis (12 each) and also ahead of Michigan State, Pittsburgh and Wisconsin (11 each).
Creighton secured its 25th all-time 20-win season with a victory on Feb. 2nd, the second-fastest its ever been (by calendar) to that milestone.
Most 20+ Win Seasons, Last 14 Years (2/15)
Seasons* School 2012-13 W-L Next Game
14* Gonzaga 24-2 2/16
14* Duke 22-2 2/16
14* Florida 20-3 2/16
14* Syracuse 20-4 2/16
14* Kansas 20-4 2/16
13* Creighton 20-6 2/16
13 Utah State 17-6 2/16
13 Kentucky 17-7 2/16
13 Xavier 14-9 2/16
13 Kent State 14-11 2/16
13 Texas 11-13 2/16
*20-win seasons list above does not include 2012-13

March 2 To Be Televised, Start at 1:05 PM
Creighton’s March 2 game vs. Wichita State will start at 1:05 pm and air on either ESPN or ESPN2. The contest was chosen by the Worldwide Leader in Sports on Thursday as part of the MVC’s “Wildcard Weekend” selection process.
Creighton will honor seniors Gregory Echenique, Grant Gibbs, Josh Jones and Joe Kelling, as well as graduating junior Taylor Stormberg in a post-game ceremony that day.

About The Final Seconds
Wednesday’s game at Northern Iowa was the first time all season that Creighton had a lead change in the final five minutes. Unfortunately for CU, its 48-45 lead was squandered as it lost 61-54.
Last year’s Creighton team went 5-1 in games that went to overtime or had a lead change in the final five minutes of regulation and were 7-1 in games decided by six points or less.

McDermott Earns MVC AwardsDoug McDermott has been named MVC Player of the Week six times this season, matching the most by any player in one season in league history.
His first honor came Nov. 12th for his performance in a Nov. 9 win vs. North Texas. McDermott had 21 points and 11 rebounds to produce CU’s first double-double in a season-opener since Kyle Korver in 2001-02.
He was then honored on Nov. 26th after averaging 25.3 points and 7.3 rebounds while earning MVP honors of the Las Vegas Invitational.
McDermott was honored on Dec. 10th after averaging 28.5 points in wins vs. Nebraska and Akron.
McDermott was honored on Dec. 17th after scoring 34 points and hauling down nine rebounds in a win at Cal on Dec. 15th. He was also named National Player of the Week by Seth Davis (CBS/Sports Illustrated) and the USBWA for that performance.
His fifth honor of the year came on Jan. 14th after he averaged 27.5 points and 8.5 rebounds in wins over Missouri State and Drake.
Most recently, McDermott averaged 27.0 points and 8.5 rebounds per game in wins vs. Missouri State and Bradley to win the award on Feb. 4th.
McDermott now owns 11 career MVC Player of the Week honors, something only Bradley great Hersey Hawkins (14) can top. His six honors this year tie Hawkins 1987-88 campaign for the most ever in a single-season.
Including his seven MVC Newcomer of the Week honors in 2010-11, McDermott has won at least one weekly award from the MVC in 18 of 46 weeks since enrolling at Creighton.

Big Time Road Win
Creighton’s 81-51 road win at Southern Illinois (Jan. 27) was a most memorable victory.
It was Creighton’s largest win away from home since a 99-52 neutral site win (in Kansas City) over IUPUI on Nov. 25, 2002.
It was Creighton’s largest road win since Feb. 19, 1974 (83-52 at UC Irvine).
It was Creighton’s largest margin of victory in any MVC road game in program history.
It was Creighton’s largest margin of victory in any conference road game since Feb. 16, 1925 (46-16 at Morningside in the North Central Conference).

MVC’s Best On The Road
In addition to owning one of the MVC’s best home-court advantages, Creighton has easily posted the league’s best record in MVC road games since 2000-01 as well.
Creighton is 62-53 in MVC road games in that span, a win percentage of .539. A distant second is Southern Illinois (53-62, .461). As a league, the road winning percentage has been .343 in the same span.
MVC Road Records (since 2000-01)
Team W L Pct.
Creighton 62 53 .539
Southern Illinois 53 62 .461
Wichita State 49 65 .430
Northern Iowa 46 68 .404
Missouri State 43 72 .374
Illinois State 33 82 .287
Drake 33 83 .284
Bradley 30 85 .261
Indiana State 25 90 .217
Evansville 20 96 .172
All MVC Teams 394 756 .343

Grand PoobahDoug McDermott has scored 1,050 points in his first 53 career home games. He is the all-time leading scorer in CenturyLink Center Omaha history.
McDermott also owns CenturyLink Center Omaha career records in points per game (19.8) and rebounds per game (7.8).
McDermott enters Saturday’s game with 1,980 career points in all venues, good for fourth in school and 16th in MVC history.
In case you’re curious, CU’s all-time leading scorer, Rodney Buford, scored 1,056 points in 56 career home games at the Omaha Civic Auditorium.

Scoring Frenzy
No player has scored more points in the last two seasons than Doug McDermott, who owns the top spot on that list with 1,399 points in that span. Next up in a distant second on that list is South Dakota State’s Nate Wolters (1,285).

Over .500, Again
Creighton has been better than .500 in either the first or second-half of the league season in 34 straight trips through the league, including this year’s first half.
Creighton’s 34 consecutive halves above .500 in league play is easily the Valley’s longest active streak, with Wichita State next closest at eight.
Here’s how Creighton’s teams have fared in the various halves of the MVC season since 1995-96.
Year 1st Half 2nd Half
2012-13 7-2 2-3 so far
2011-12 8-1 6-3
2010-11 5-4 5-4
2009-10 5-4 5-4
2008-09 5-4 9-0
2007-08 5-4 5-4
2006-07 6-3 7-2
2005-06 7-2 5-4
2004-05 5-4 6-3
2003-04 7-2 5-4
2002-03 8-1 7-2
2001-02 8-1 6-3
2000-01 5-4 9-0
1999-00 5-4 6-3
1998-99 6-3 5-4
1997-98 5-4 7-2
1996-97 5-4 5-4
1995-96 4-5 5-4
Total 106-56 (.654) 105-53 (.665)

Chatman On The Double!
Sophomore point guard Austin Chatman had the first double-double of his young career on Jan. 30th when he had 10 assists to go with a career-high 14 points. His 10 assists directly led to 28 points, including eight three-pointers.
Chatman is the first Bluejay with a point/assist double-double since Grant Gibbs (12 points, 10 assists) at Illinois State on Jan. 13, 2012.
Chatman then established more highs his next time out when he scored a career-best 16 points in a victory vs. Bradley, including a career-high four three-point baskets.

Give Him The Oscar!
Creighton junior Doug McDermott is one of 12 players selected by the U.S. Basketball Writers Association for its 2013 Oscar Robertson Trophy Midseason Watch List. Members of the association’s board of directors chose the players to be included on the list as contenders for the Oscar Robertson Trophy presented by Aflac.
In addition to McDermott, other players under consideration are Anthony Bennett, Trey Burke, Michael Carter-Williams, Ben McLemore, Victor Oladipo, Kelly Olynyk, Mason Plumlee, Russ Smith, Deshaun Thomas, Jeff Withey and Cody Zeller.
The award is to be presented to the national player of the year by its namesake at the Devon Energy College Basketball Awards on April 15 at the National Cowboy and Western Heritage Museum in Oklahoma City. The Henry Iba Coach of the Year Award and the Integris Wayman Tisdale Freshman of the Year Award will also be presented at the gala to be held annually the Monday following the NCAA Men’s Final Four.

His Own Game of H-O-R-S-EDoug McDermott led the nation last year with 307 field goals made, and his 201 buckets this year are once again leading the country.
Of McDermott’s 307 hoops last year, he made 56 baskets with his left hand and used the glass for 174 of his scores.
Though he’s playing away from the basket even more this season, his numbers remain impressive, as he’s used this left hand on 18 field goals and banked in a shot 90 times.
McDermott’s 207 field goals this season lead the country, even though he’s 15th nationally with 374 field goal attempts.
No player has led the country in field goals made in back-to-back seasons since at least 1995-96.

500 Point Club, AgainDoug McDermott is second in the nation with 598 points this season, his third straight season of 500 or more points.
He is the fourth player in Creighton history with three straight seasons of 500 or more points, joining Paul Silas (1961-64), Bob Harstad (1988-91) and Rodney Buford (1996-99). McDermott, however, is the only player in CU history with three straight seasons of 550 points or more.

Could He Lead The Nation?Doug McDermott enters Saturday’s game ranked second in the nation in scoring. McDermott’s averaging 23.0 points per game, trailing Virginia Tech’s Erick Green (25.2 ppg.).
Green has scored between 20 to 36 points in 22 of his 24 games this season, but many tough tests lie ahead in the ACC.
The odds don’t favor a player at a “BCS” school to finish as the scoring champ. Since 1971-72, the only guy playing at the “BCS” school to lead the nation in scoring was Purdue’s Glenn Robinson (30.3 ppg.) in 1993-94.

What A Start!
Now in his third year, Greg McDermott is 72-28 in his first 100 games on the Creighton sideline. The 72 wins are second-most in Creighton history after 100 games. Here’s a breakdown of how he compares to some other Creighton coaches after 100 games.
W-L After 100 Games, Select CU Coaches
Coach Years W-L After 100
Arthur A. Schabinger 1922-35 75-25Greg McDermott 2010-Pres. 72-28
Tom Apke 1974-81 72-28
Eddie Sutton 1969-74 59-41
Red McManus 1959-69 55-45
Dana Altman 1994-10 45-55
Tony Barone 1985-91 43-57
Willis Reed 1981-85 43-57

Racing Past 70Greg McDermott enters Saturday’s game with 72 wins in his first three seasons at Creighton. According to research by MVC Associate Commissioner Mike Kern, McDermott’s 72 wins are fourth-most by a Valley coach in his first three years at a school.
Ed Jucker and Denny Crum both won national titles and are MVC Hall of Famers, while Crum is also in the Naismith and NABC Hall of Fame.
Most Wins, 1st Three Years at an MVC School
W-L Name, School Years
91-19 Forddy Anderson, Bradley 1948-51
84-7 Ed Jucker, Cincinnati 1959-62
78-26 Chris Lowery, Southern Illinois 2004-07
72-28 Greg McDermott, Creighton 2010-Pres.
71-31 Tim Jankovich, Illinois State 2007-10
70-19 Denny Crum, Louisville 1971-74

Emerging EcheniqueGregory Echenique scored in double-figures during eight straight games from Dec. 1st - Jan. 5th, but has reached double-figures in just three of 11 games since.
Creighton is 12-1 this year when Echenique scores in double-figures, and 37-12 all-time when he scores in double-figures.

Point, Counterpoint
No player in the MVC owns more assists in the past two seasons than Creighton senior Grant Gibbs’ 324. Earlier this year Gibbs became the 12th player (and second-quickest) in Bluejay history to 300 assists, doing it in his 56th contest.
MVC Assist Leaders, Since 2011-12
324 Grant Gibbs, Creighton
271 Jake Odum, Indiana State
220 Troy Taylor, Evansville

Elite CompanyDoug McDermott is averaging 23.0 points and 7.7 rebounds, while also shooting 48.3 percent from three-point range.
According to a graphic airing on ESPN on January 15th, McDermott could join Duke’s Christian Laettner and UCLA’s Tracy Murray as the only players in NCAA history to average at least 20 points, 7.0 rebounds while shooting 50 percent or better from downtown (min. 50 attempts).
Both Laettner and Murray did it in 1991-92, with Laettner taking home Wooden Award honors.

Did You See The 30-Pointer?
Junior Doug McDermott owns five games of 30 or more points this season, and 13 overall games in his career.
McDermott’s five outings of 30 points or more this season lead the country through games of Feb. 13th. VMI’s Stan Okoye has also done it five times. Lehigh star C.J. McCollum, while Darren White (Campbell), Ian Clark (Belmont) and Matthew Dellavedova (Saint Mary’s) have done it three times each.

Strong On the Road
Off to a 20-6 start overall, Creighton is 7-4 away from home this season. Four of those victories have come against two Big Ten teams (Wisconsin, Nebraska) and two Pacific-12 teams (Arizona State, Cal).
Impressively, all four BCS wins have been by double-digits. Creighton is 8-1 in the past two years against BCS teams, including six victories by double-digits and another triumph by eight.

Winning Away From Home
Creighton won a school-record 15 games away from home last season. The Jays went 10-3 in true road games and were also 5-1 on neutral floors.
Creighton’s lone neutral-site loss came to North Carolina in a not-so “neutral” Greensboro, N.C., in the third round of the NCAA Tournament.
This year’s team is 7-4 away from home, with four of those victories against a BCS school (Wisconsin, Arizona State, Nebraska, Cal) by double-digits, a 22-point win at Missouri State, a seven-point win at Illinois State and a 30-point win at Southern Illinois.
This season was the first time since 1942-43 that Creighton has won its first six games away from home.
Each of Creighton’s last nine NCAA Tournament teams have won 10 or more games away from home, and eight of those teams had a winning record in true road contests.
Nation’s Best Offense?
You can make a case that Creighton has boasted the nation’s best offensive production so far this year.
Through games of February 13th, Creighton was leading the nation in three-point percentage (43.2), second in field goal percentage (51.0), and third in both three-pointers per game (9.4) and in two-point field goal percentage (56.2).
According to data from bbstate.com, no team since at least 2005-06 has shot better than 58.7 from two-point range.
Last season Creighton ranked third nationally in three-point percentage, making 42.4 percent from downtown.
The only team to ever lead the nation in both 3-pointers per game and 3-point percentage was Princeton in 1987-88.
The only team to ever lead the nation in both field goal percentage and three-point percentage was Northern Arizona 1998-99.

Defense! Defense!
Creighton ranked 222nd nationally last season in field goal percentage defense at 44.1 percent, one area that the program has tried hard to improve on in the off-season.
The results have been promising, as CU has limited foes to 41.3 percent marksmanship. That figure ranked 121st-best nationally in 2012-13 through Sunday’s games.
Only seven teams have shot better than 43.4 percent this season against the Jays in 26 games.
The 42 points by Nebraska on Dec. 6th were its fewest against Creighton since 1932, a span of 39 meetings.

Efficiency Improves
Because Creighton tends to play at a faster pace and have more possessions than the average school, Bluejay coaches place significant emphasis on stats like average points per possession, with data that can be found on a site such as bbstate.com.
Creighton’s offense is still clicking as one of the nation’s best, but the team has made huge strides on the defensive end of the floor, jumping from 222nd last year to 87th this season.
Twenty-one of Creighton’s first 26 opponents have been held under 1.03 points per possession this season.
Points Per Possession
2010-11 2011-12 2012-13
Offense 1.065 1.150 1.157
Offense Rank 46th 2nd 2nd
Defense 1.006 1.014 0.941
Defense Rank 192nd 222nd 87th

The BarometerJahenns Manigat led the MVC with his 49.2 percent marksmanship from three-point range in league play a year ago. When it came to CU’s nine MVC road games last year, he was the barometer.
In Creighton’s seven Valley road wins, Manigat shot a robust 19-of-27 (70.4 percent) from downtown. In CU’s two Valley road losses, Manigat was just 2-of-9 (22.2 percent) from downtown.
In Creighton’s three Valley road wins this year, Manigat is 9-for-11 (81.8 percent) from three-point range, while he is 1-for-11 (9.1 percent) from deep in CU’s four MVC road losses.

McDermott Goes For 39
Junior Doug McDermott had a season-high 39 points on Jan. 11th at Missouri State, scoring in nearly every conceivable way. Consider the following aspects of his performance:
-McDermott started the game 1-for-4 from the field, then sank his next 14 shots from the floor. When he missed his final shot of the game with 4:13 to go, the JQH Arena crowd gave a sarcastic Bronx cheer.
-McDermott scored Creighton’s first 18 points of the second half as the Jays extended a 32-27 halftime lead into a 50-32 margin.
-McDermott’s 39 points were seven more than the previous JQH Arena record.
-McDermott outscored Missouri State by himself in the second half, 28-25, and outscored MSU 35-34, in the final 26:16 of the contest.
-McDermott became the first player in the country this season with 39 points and 10 or more rebounds in the same game this season.
-His 28 points in the second half were the most by a Creighton player in a half since he scored 31 in the second half of his 44-point performance at Bradley on Jan. 7, 2012.
-McDermott’s 39 points are tied for the most in the MVC by any player this season with Wichita State’s Cleanthony Early.

Jays Reach 10 Home Wins, Again
With a Jan. 8th win vs. Drake, Creighton won its 10th home game this season. Creighton has now won 10 or more home games in 17 straight seasons.
The streak is easily a school-record, five more than the previous standard of 12 straight seasons from the 1969-70 season to the 1980-81 campaign with 10 or more home wins.

Wragge = Instant OffenseEthan Wragge had 22 points in just 17 minutes vs. Drake on Jan. 8th, sinking six three-pointers for the fourth time in his career.
It’s the second time in Wragge’s career he’s had 20 or more points in 17 minutes or less, having gone for 21 points in 17 minutes as a freshman vs. Xavier.
Before Wragge arrived on campus four years ago, no other Creighton player had 20 or more points in 19 minutes or less since Vernon Moore put up 21 points in 19 minutes against Nebraska-Kearney on Nov. 24, 1984.

Filling It UpEthan Wragge is third in the MVC with 60 three-pointers made this season, giving him 206 in his career. That places him fourth in Creighton history.
All three men ahead of him, as well as the man behind him, were named MVC Tournament Most Outstanding Player at some point in their careers.
Most 3FG Made, Career
3FG Name Years
371 Kyle Korver 1999-03
245 Ryan Sears 1997-01
212 Rodney Buford 1995-99
206 Ethan Wragge 2009-Pres.
200 Nate Funk 2002-07

Midseason Wooden Award List
Creighton forward Doug McDermott is the lone MVC representative on the John R. Wooden Award Midseason Top 25. Selected by the Wooden Award National Advisory Board, the list is made up of 25 student-athletes who, based on their performances in November, December, and the beginning of January, are the frontrunners for college basketball’s most prestigious honor.
The Wooden Award All American Team, consisting of the nation’s top 10 players, will be announced the week of the “Elite Eight” round of the NCAA Tournament. The John R. Wooden Award Player of the Year presented by Wendy’s will be announced on ESPN during the Final Four Weekend in Atlanta. The 2013 Wooden Award Gala presented by Wendy’s will take place April 11-13, 2013, at The Los Angeles Athletic Club.

Get Your Tickets!
Creighton fans have already purchased 4,000 lower bowl all-session tickets for the MVC Tournament, which will be March 7-10 at Scottrade Center in St. Louis, Mo. The mark shatters the previous MVC record for sales by a school set by Bluejay fans last year (2,575).
To join the Creighton contingent at Arch Madness with a purchase in the upper-bowl, call the CU Ticket Office at 402-280-JAYS.

Three-Point Barrage
Creighton started MVC play shooting the daylights out of the ball, making 50 percent or better of its 3-point shots in six straight games for the first time in program history.
The Jays were 12-of-24 from downtown vs. Evansville, went 13-of-25 at Illinois State, were 11-of-22 from deep vs. Indiana State, an absurd 16-of-27 vs. Drake, 9-of-17 from long-range at Missouri State and 6-of-12 vs. UNI.
Creighton’s four-game stretch to start league play was the first time since January of 2008 that Creighton’s had four straight games with 10 or more three-pointers.
Creighton’s 16 three-pointers vs. Drake were tied for second-most in school history, tied for 10th-most in MVC history and the most in the MVC in 2012-13. The league record for three-pointers in a game is 20, done by Creighton (vs. Chattanooga on 2/19/05) and later matched by Bradley vs. Florida A&M on Nov. 21, 2006.

Army of Iowans
Every Creighton team since 1988-89 has had at least one Iowa native, and this season is no exception.
Creighton has four players from Iowa on this season’s team, continuing a long trend of relying on some of the Hawkeye State’s top preps. CU’s Iowans this season includes senior Grant Gibbs (Marion), junior Doug McDermott (Ames), sophomore Will Artino (Waukee) and redshirt freshman Alex Olsen (Council Bluffs).
Other past notable Iowans include Kyle Korver (Pella), Ryan Sears (Ankeny), Brody Deren (Harlan), Tyler McKinney (Urbandale) and Nate Funk (Sioux City).
Creighton has played at least one Iowa native in 611 straight games. That streak dates to a Feb. 5, 1994 win against Wichita State. In that time, 923 of Creighton’s 3,055 starts (30.2 percent) can be attributed to Iowans. Here’s a list of the Iowans and how many starts they’ve made during this run:
Creighton’s Starts By Iowans, Since 2/5/1994
Ryan Sears 124Doug McDermott 100
Nate Funk 99
Kyle Korver 95
Michael Lindeman 94
Tyler McKinney 89
Brody Deren 89Grant Gibbs 61
Joel Templeman 57
Kaleb Korver 46
Pierce Hibma 27
Adam Reid 24
Casey Harriman 16
John Klein 2

Big Man In The MiddleGregory Echenique scored in double-figures in eight straight games from Dec. 1st - Jan. 5th.
Echenique has shot better than 50 percent from the field in 16 of the last 20 games, and continues to lead the MVC in field goal percentage at 65.4 percent.
Echenique’s 65.4 percent marksmanship from the field is on pace to approach not only the Creighton (67.4%) mark, but also the MVC single-season mark (also 67.4%) as well.
It’s also worth noting that Echenique ranks third in Creighton history with 155 career blocked shots. Echenique also ranks 13th in Rutgers history with 94 career swats, where he spent the first three semesters of college.
Most Blocked Shots, Creighton History
(Since 1979-80)
Blk. Name Years
411 Benoit Benjamin 1982-85
183 Chad Gallagher 1987-91
155 Gregory Echenique 2010-Pres.
153 Kenny Lawson Jr. 2006-11
138 Brody Deren 2001-04
136 Anthony Tolliver 2003-07

RPI Update
Through games of February 14th, Creighton is ranked 47th in the RPI according to WarrenNolan.com, while Evansville ranks 138th.
Creighton owns eight wins against RPI teams in the top-102. By comparison, defending national champion Kentucky has four such wins.
As a league, the MVC is the ninth-best conference nationally.

Honors Roll InDoug McDermott picked up two big honors in early January, adding to his collection.
ESPN.com named McDermott the National Player of the Month after a December that saw him average a nation-best 26.5 points per game while shooting 57.5 percent from the field, 57.6 percent from three-point range and 88.9 percent in the line in six Creighton victories.
McDermott was also named the Lute Olson Award Midseason National Player of the Year honoree. McDermott was named the Lute Olson Award National Player of the Year at the end of last season.
McDermott has been named Midseason National Player of the Year by such experts as Seth Davis, Dick Vitale and Andy Katz.

Let’s Get It Started
Creighton won its first six MVC games this season before falling at Wichita State.
As good as Creighton’s been since rejoining the MVC in 1977-78, it was just the second time the program has started 6-0 in league play in that span. Each of the previous two teams to start 5-0 in league play would go on to win the MVC Tournament.
Creighton’s Best MVC Starts, Since 1977-78
Start Year Finish/Place
7-0 2002-03 15-3/2nd (won MVC Tourney)
6-0 2012-13 ? ? ?
5-0 1988-89 11-3/1st (won MVC Tourney

Conference Starts Are Big
Since 1993-94, only one team (Northern Iowa, a 2008-09 co-champion) has won at least a share of the regular-season title without winning its league opener. In fact, 16 of the last 18 regular-season champs (or co-champs) have opened 2-0 or better in MVC play, with UNI in 2008-09 and Wichita State in 2011-12 serving as the exceptions.
This season the only MVC teams to start 2-0 were Bradley, Wichita State, Creighton and Indiana State.

Unbeaten December
Creighton went 6-0 in December wrapping up an unbeaten December with a victory over Evansville on Dec. 29.
Since 1946-47, Creighton’s only two other teams to go unbeaten in December were in 2003 and 2008.
The 2008-09 team went 9-0 in December and would go on to win a share of the MVC regular-season title.
The 2003-04 squad finished tied for second in the MVC. That team began the season 12-0 before suffering an overtime loss in a game hosted by Northern Iowa and its then-coach, Greg McDermott.

Consistent Challengers
Ten of Creighton’s last 15 teams have finished either first or second in The Valley’s regular-season race. Two of the five that didn’t won the MVC Tournament.
The Bluejays won the MVC in 2000-01 and tied for the title in 2001-02 and 2008-09. CU was second in the MVC in 1997-98 and 2006-07, tied for second in the MVC in 1998-99, 2003-04 and 2005-06, and finished tied for third in 2004-05. The 1999-00 club was fourth in the MVC, but won the MVC Tournament, while the 2010-11 club tied for fourth place.
Creighton’s MVC Finishes, Last 15 Years
1st Place 2000-01
Tied for First 2001-02 (won MVC Tourn.), 2008-09
2nd Place 1997-98, 2002-03 (won MVC Tourn.),
2006-07 (won MVC Tourn.), 2011-12 (won MVC Tourn.)
Tied for 2nd 1998-99 (won MVC Tourn.), 2003-04, 2005-06
Tied for 3rd Place 2004-05 (won MVC Tourn.)
4th Place 1999-00 (won MVC Tourn.); 2007-08; 2009-10
Tied for 4th Place 2010-11

Coaches vs. Cancer Summary
As part of the nationwide American Cancer Society Coaches Vs. Cancer event, men’s basketball fans were encouraged to wear pink to promote cancer awareness and participate in the “Creighton Vs. Cancer Pink Out” game when the Bluejays hosted Bradley on Saturday, Feb. 2.
Bluejay players wore pink shooting shirts and pink jerseys for the game and fans had the opportunity to honor a friend or family member who has battled cancer or is currently battling cancer by purchasing the apparel via auction (the shooting shirt could be personalized – last name, nickname, etc.).
The first 14,000 fans entering the venue on February 2 received a complimentary pink t-shirt courtesy of Alegent Creighton Health and Methodist Estabrook Cancer Center.
Last year’s Creighton vs. Cancer jersey auction raised more than $20,600. This year’s auction raised $24,444. An additional $7,239.17 was raised from at-the-door collection, bringing the total to $31,683.17. Seven jerseys sold for more than $1,000. Below is a list showing what each jersey sold for:
Jersey #00 $2,025
Jersey #1 $1,125
Jersey #2 $860
Jersey #3 $5,002
Jersey #4 $406
Jersey #5 $2,550
Jersey #10 $3,050
Jersey #11 $510
Jersey #12 $1,020
Jersey #13 $450
Jersey #22 $910
Jersey #23 $585
Jersey #24 $960
Jersey #30 $556
Jersey #31 $710.01
Jersey #34 $1,025
Jersey #50 $510

Comparing Teams
Last season Creighton had one of the nation’s most effective and most efficient offenses. With all but one regular from that squad back, we thought we’d take a second to compare the 2011-12 and 2012-13 teams through 26 games:
Stat 2011-12 2012-13
Record 21-5 20-6
FG Made 726 715
FG% .504 .507
3FG Made 216 242
3FG% .426 .427
FT Made 400 327
FT% .731 .738
Rebound Margin +5.4 +5.6
Assists 476 452
Turnovers 327 317
Scoring Average 79.5 76.9
Scoring Defense 68.6 63.7
Scoring Margin +11.9 +13.2

Creighton’s Exclusive 30/30 ClubDoug McDermott scored 30 points in a Dec. 9 win vs. Akron, then followed that performance with a season-high 34 seven days later at Cal.
McDermott, who leads the MVC with 23.7 points per game, became the first Creighton player with 30 points in consecutive contests since Bob Harstad in 1990.
McDermott also scored 30 or more in consecutive wins vs. Missouri State and Northern Iowa in January.

Doing It All
Reigning MVC Player of the Year Doug McDermott has one of the nation’s best set of post moves, and now the junior forward is taking his skills to the perimeter with similar success.
Eight days after tying a career-high with five-three pointers in a 29-point thrashing of Atlantic-10 favorite Saint Joseph’s, McDermott shot 6-for-8 from downtown in a 77-61 win over defending MAC champion Akron on Dec. 9th.
McDermott’s career 45.8 percent accuracy from three-point range ranks tops in CU history. Since starting his career 15-of-53 (28.3 percent) after 20 games from downtown, McDermott has made 142-of-290 three-pointers (49.0 percent) in his past 80 games.
McDermott averaged 13.6 points in his first 20 games at Creighton, and has averaged 21.35 points in his past 80 games with the Jays.

Full House
This year’s Creighton team ranks sixth nationally in average home attendance, averaging 17,048 fans per game.
In 2011-12, Creighton finished sixth nationally in home attendance, averaging 16,665 fans per home game. It’s the sixth straight season that CU has been among the nation’s top-25 in average home attendance, and set an MVC average home attendance record.
Creighton has now surpassed 200,000 home fans in a season for the eighth time. No other school in the history of the MVC has ever done so even once.
Creighton also ranked seventh nationally in men’s soccer attendance and 10th in baseball attendance, the nation’s only school in the top-10 of those three sports in 2011-12.
2012-13 Attendance Leaders (2/15)
Rk. School Average Next Home
1. Kentucky 22,871 2/20
2. Louisville 21,326 2/23
3. Syracuse 20,871 2/20
4. North Carolina 18,688 2/16
5. Indiana 17,401 2/16
6. Creighton 17,048 2/19
7. Wisconsin 16,778 2/17
8. Tennessee 16,686 2/16
9. Kansas 16,478 2/16
10. BYU 16,462 2/16

Jones Hangs Up High TopsJosh Jones was hospitalized prior to Creighton’s Dec. 6 game at Nebraska after he fainted during pre-game warm-ups on the Bob Devaney Sports Center court prior to Creighton’s 64-42 win.
Jones was released from a Lincoln hospital on Dec. 7th. Jones was underwent a nine-hour medical procedure on Dec. 18th, and on Dec. 26th announced his basketball career is done due to an atrial flutter.
The senior guard was averaging 7.0 points per game as the team’s top guard off the bench.
Creighton outscored the opposition 249-92 off the bench in eight games with Jones, but has been outscored 339-317 off the bench since he’s been out of the line-up.
Might As Well Jump
Creighton is 14-3 this season when Gregory Echenique wins the opening tip. Creighton’s streak of 20 straight wins when winning the jump ball to start the game ended in its Jan. 23 loss at Drake.
Creighton is 44-12 all-time when Echenique wins the opening tip, but 14-9 when he loses the tip.

Pizza Pie, Piled High = Wins
Thanks to a promotion with Omaha-based Godfather’s Pizza, Creighton season ticket-holders can get a free mini pizza any time the Jays score 75 points at home.
History has proven that when the team earns the fans pizza, it often leads to a victory as well.
The first three years of CenturyLink Center Omaha (2003-06), Creighton needed 70 points to earn its fans free pizza, and the Jays went 27-3 when reaching that threshold, closing out that run with 12 straight wins.
Since upping the standard to 75 points prior to the 2006-07 campaign, Creighton is a perfect 66-0 when scoring 75 points or more at CenturyLink Center Omaha.
In other words, Creighton is a perfect 78-0 in CenturyLink Center Omaha since Feb. 6, 2005 when scoring enough points to earn its fans some free pizza.

A New Streak
Since Greg McDermott took over three years ago, Creighton is averaging 78.28 points per home game (4,149 points in 53 home games).
That’s a vital number since Creighton is 89-0 at home (62-0 at CenturyLink Center Omaha) when scoring 78 points or more and 71-0 at home (48-0 at CenturyLink Center Omaha) when scoring 80 points or more at home dating to a 92-83 loss to Southern Illinois on Feb. 19, 2000.

Stat Leaders
Statistically, Creighton ranks among the nation’s top-20 in nine different categories through games of Feb. 10th. The Jays lead the nation in field goal percentage (.120) and three-point percentage (.432).
CU is third in three-pointers per game (9.4), fourth with 17.7 assists per game, fifth in assist/turnover ratio (1.48), sixth in points (1945), 12th in both scoring margin (+16.2), 14th in scoring offense (77.8) and 19th in free-throw percentage (.751).
The only team to ever finish a season leading the nation in both 3-pointers per game and 3-point percentage was Princeton in 1987-88, while the only team to ever lead the nation in both field goal percentage and three-point percentage was Northern Arizona 1998-99.
Individually, Doug McDermott is second in points per game (23.3), 34th in field goal percentage (.552), 42nd in free-throw percentage (.864), 92nd in double-doubles (6) and 148th in rebounds per game (7.5). Grant Gibbs is 12th in assist/turnover ratio (2.8) and 28th in assists per game (5.8). In addition, Gregory Echenique ranks 95th in blocked shots per game (1.68), 116th in double-doubles (5) and 181st in rebounds per game (7.1). Also in the top-100 are Ethan Wragge, who is 85th with 2.40 three-pointers per game, and Austin Chatman who ranks 95th with 4.5 assists per game and 82nd with a 2.07 assist/turnover ratio.

Big Road Win
Creighton’s 64-42 win at Nebraska matched its largest victory margin in a true road win since an 82-60 win at Southern Illinois on Feb. 14, 2009.
It was also the largest margin in a non-conference road win since winning at Drexel, 72-48, on Dec. 1, 2007.
Before Dec. 6th, last time Creighton won a true road game by 22+ points vs. a BCS-league team was 12/18/76 at Oregon State (90-68).

Scoring On The Badgers
Creighton scored 84 points on Nov. 23rd against Wisconsin’s vaunted defense that has ranked among the nation’s top-10 in scoring defense in each of the past six seasons.
It was the first time in either of the last two seasons that Wisconsin had allowed 80 points in a game, and the eighth-most allowed in regulation in Bo Ryan’s 12 years as a head coach.

Third-Year Coaches UpdateGreg McDermott was one of 53 head coaches hired to coach a school prior to 2010-11. His 72 wins in that span are easily the most of that group, and McDermott, Tad Boyle (Colorado) and Dana Altman (Oregon) are the only men to win a postseason game each of their first two seasons.
Below is a list of the new coaches with 64 or more wins at their school since being hired.
School Coach W-L Next Game
Creighton Greg McDermott 72-23 2/16
Iona Tim Cluess 65-30 2/15
Oregon Dana Altman 65-33 2/16
Colorado Tad Boyle 65-33 2/16

Austin Powers
After spending last year as a back-up to Antoine Young, sophomore Austin Chatman has taken over as Creighton’s starting point guard. Creighton’s been blessed with a legacy of some of the MVC’s best point guards in the last 15 years, a streak that began with four-year starters Ryan Sears (1997-2001), Tyler McKinney (2001-05) and Josh Dotzler (2005-09) at the point before Young ran the offense while starting the last three years.
Here’s a look at the stats, by year, of the men that Chatman is trying to replace.
Freshman Sophomore
Name PPG APG CU W-L PPG APG CU W-L
Sears 10.5 4.8 18-10 8.7 4.0 22-9
McKinney 4.3 2.1 23-9 5.0 4.1 29-5
Dotzler 6.4 4.2 20-10 2.2 2.0 22-11
Young 4.9 1.4 27-8 7.1 3.1 18-16
Chatman 2.4 1.9 29-6 8.0 4.4 20-6

Dime TimeAustin Chatman’s 11 assists on Nov. 18 vs. Presbyterian were one shy of the CenturyLink Center Omaha record, set last season by Grant Gibbs vs. Northwestern. Chatman entered the game with a career-high of seven assists, then had nine by halftime.
Chatman’s 11 dimes led to 30 Bluejay points, and Creighton outscored the Blue Hose 63-26 in his 24 minutes of play.
In addition, Chatman’s 11 assists were the most by a Bluejay sophomore since Tyler McKinney had 12 assists in a 81-73 win at Nebraska on Dec. 21, 2002.

Quick Starts Key To Playing in Postseason
Creighton has started off 3-0 (or better) in 12 of the previous 14 seasons. Each of Creighton’s previous 13 3-0 starts have been culminated in a postseason tournament appearance at the end of the year.

Not Half BadDoug McDermott outscored Presbyterian 20-17 in the first half in a Nov. 18 win. It was the second-most points McDermott has ever had at halftime, and the fourth-highest half of his career.
McDermott’s highest scoring half of his career has been 31 points, done last year in the second half at Bradley when he scored a career-best 44 points.
McDermott has scored 15 points or more in a half 38 times during his career, and Creighton is 33-2 in those contests (three times he’s scored 15 or more in both halves).
McDermott owns seven halves in his career with 20 or more points, and just six scoreless halves.

Rare AirGregory Echenique had one of the best all-around games of his career on Nov. 14 in the win vs. UAB, finishing with 13 points, 16 rebounds and four blocked shots. For good measure, he made 5-of-5 shots from the field and was a perfect 3-for-3 at the line.
Echenique was the first Bluejay with at least 13 points, 16 rebounds and four blocked shots in the same game since Benoit Benjamin had 15 points, 17 rebounds and four swats on Feb. 28, 1985 at Dayton.
Echenique was the first Bluejay to have a 13/16/4 game at home since Benjamin had 26 points, 18 rebounds and seven rejections in a win vs. Marquette on Jan. 27, 1985.
Incredibly, Benjamin had nine different games in his junior season with at least 13 points, 16 rebounds and four blocks before Echenique ended the 27-year drought.

Playing With The Lead
In 168 games at CenturyLink Center Omaha all-time, Creighton has not trailed in 40 of those contests, a staggering 23.8 percent of the time, including seven wire-to-wire wins at home last season and four wins (Longwood, Saint Joseph’s, Tulsa, Drake) this season.
Creighton has trailed by double-digits in 37 career games at CenturyLink Center Omaha, only to rally to win 22 of those contests.

On The Trail
Creighton won six games last season after trailing by 10 or more points, including wins away from home at San Diego State and at Wichita State, on neutral floors vs. Drake and Alabama, and in home triumphs over Long Beach State and Evansville.
In its Nov. 14 win vs. UAB, Creighton trailed 45-35 in the second stanza, only to rally for a 77-60 win. It was the first time since Feb. 3, 2010 (vs. Evansville) that Creighton trailed by double-digits at any point before rallying to win by double-figures. That UAB game was also the first time in CenturyLink Center Omaha history that Creighton trailed by double-figures in the second half, yet still won by double-digits.
Creighton, which trailed 37-33 at the half to UAB, is 10-10 in the last two seasons when facing an intermission deficit.

Milestone Man
Because he’s split his college career between Rutgers and Creighton, you might not realize the rather impressive college stats being generated by Gregory Echenique.
Echenique owns 1,269 points, 934 rebounds and 249 blocked shots in 129 games as a collegian. He entered the season as the nation’s only active player with at least 1,000 point, 750 rebounds and 200 blocked shots, and is currently the nation’s only active player with 1,250 points, 900 rebounds and 240 or more blocked shots.
Had all those stats been generated at Creighton, Echenique would rank 22nd in career points, fifth in career rebounds and second in career blocked shots at CU.
Creighton is one of three schools nationally with two active players who own 700 or more career rebounds (Echenique & Doug McDermott), joining LIU Brooklyn and Ole Miss.

I Know What You Did Last Summer
Senior center Gregory Echenique played for coach Eric Musselman on the Venezuelan National Team last summer, alongside the likes of former Maryland star and current Memphis Grizzlies guard Greivis Vasquez.
Echenique averaged 7.5 points and 7.5 rebounds in two games at the FIBA Olympic Qualifier in Caracas in July against Lithuania and Nigeria, where he went head-to-head against NBA players such as Linas Kleiza, Jonas Valanciunas, and Al-Farouq Aminu.

Double-Double OpenerDoug McDermott opened his junior season with 21 points and 11 rebounds on Nov. 9 against North Texas in a 71-51 win.
He was the first Creighton player to have a double-double in a season-opener since Kyle Korver opened his junior campaign with 14 points and 10 rebounds in a 72-51 victory over North Carolina A&T.
Korver would go on to earn MVC Player of the Year accolades as both a junior and as a senior. Last year McDermott was the first player in MVC history named MVC Player of the Year as a sophomore.
Creighton has won either the MVC regular-season title or MVC Tournament each of its previous six seasons it had a player with a double-double in the opener (2001-02, 1999-00, 1998-99, 1990-91, 1989-90, 1988-89).

Preseason MVC Poll
Creighton was picked to win the Missouri Valley Conference in the preseason poll of league coaches, SID’s and media. The Bluejays earned 38-of-40 first-place votes and 398 points overall.
Illinois State was second with 327 points and the remaining two first-place votes, while Northern Iowa was third with 316 points. Wichita State (298) and Evansville (240) rounded out the upper half of the league.
In sixth was Drake (184), while Indiana State (165), Missouri State (122), Bradley (84) and Southern Illinois (66) round out the rest of the league predictions.
Creighton junior Doug McDermott was named preseason MVC Player of the Year. He’s joined on the team by repeat selections Jake Odum (Indiana State) and Colt Ryan (Evansville) as well as new picks Ben Simons (Drake) and Jackie Carmichael (Illinois State).
Creighton’s women were also picked to win the MVC, just the third time in league history the MVC favorites came from the same schools.

Portman To Enter MVC Hall of Fame
Bob Portman will enter the Missouri Valley Conference Hall of Fame on March 8, 2013, during a banquet at the MVC Tournament in St. Louis, Mo.
Portman played for Creighton from 1966-69 and averaged 24.6 points and 12.9 rebounds per game during his college career.
Portman owns the Creighton records for single-game scoring (51), single-season scoring average (29.5) and career scoring average (24.7). He is also second for points in a season (738) and ranks fourth in career points (1,876), rebounds (979), free throws (382) and field goals made (747).

Postseason x 15
Creighton has made the postseason in 15 consecutive seasons, the longest streak of postseason bids in MVC history.
The only eight schools to make the postseason in each of the last 14 years are Creighton, Duke, Florida, Gonzaga, Kansas, Kentucky, Michigan State and Syracuse.

Postseason Win Streak
Thanks to an NCAA Tournament win over Alabama, the Creighton men’s basketball team has now won a postseason game in a school-record five straight seasons. The previous mark was three in a row from 1962-64.
The following eight programs are the only ones that have won a postseason game in five straight seasons, including 2011-12: Creighton, Kansas, Kansas State, North Carolina, Pittsburgh, Purdue, Syracuse and Wisconsin.

Long-Distance Streak Alive
Creighton has made at least one three-pointer in a league-best 634 straight games since a 59-53 loss at Illinois State on Feb. 20, 1993. That’s the longest active streak in the MVC.

CenturyLink Center Omaha Success
Creighton has played 168 regular and postseason contests at CenturyLink Center Omaha all-time in its 10 seasons at the facility.
The Bluejays own an 143-25 (.851) record all-time at the facility, and have never lost there on a Thursday (7-0) or Friday (6-0).
Creighton has outscored its opponents 12,645-10,664 in games at CenturyLink Center Omaha, an average margin of 11.8 points per game. Creighton has led wire-to-wire 40 different times, including seven times last season and four times this winter (Longwood, Saint Joseph’s, Tulsa, Drake).

Piling Up The Points, and Wins
Creighton has won 57 straight games when scoring 90 points or more, dating to Jan. 11, 1988.
Creighton has won 19 straight (at all sites) when scoring 100 points or more, dating to Feb. 26, 1977.

Here’s To History
With the 2012 MVC Tournament title, Creighton head coach Greg McDermott became the first head coach in league history to win a Valley Tournament title at more than one school.
McDermott previously won a title in 2004 at Northern Iowa. The 1988 Northern Iowa grad McDermott also holds the honor of being the first coach in league history to win an MVC Tournament title at his alma mater.

Dance Partners
Only two schools won their league tournament in both men’s and women’s basketball in 2011-12: Creighton and South Dakota State.
This was the fifth time in MVC history that the same school has won the men’s and women’s tournament titles in the same season. Creighton, however, was the first program to do it twice (UNI 2010, Creighton 2002 and 2012, Missouri State 1992, Illinois State 1983).

McDermott A Preseason All-American
Junior forward Doug McDermott became the first player in MVC history to be named a preseason First Team All-American by the Associated Press. The team was announced on October 28th.
McDermott earned acclaim on 62-of-65 ballots, trailing only Indiana’s Cody Zeller. The rest of the team consisted of Isaiah Canaan (Murray State), Deshaun Thomas (Ohio State), Trey Burke (Michigan) and C.J. McCollum (Lehigh).
The preseason All-America team was first announced in 1986-87.

Watch This!
Junior Doug McDermott is on the preseason watch lists for both the Wooden Award and the Naismith Award, two of the top awards in college basketball.
McDermott is the only man who was a finalist for either award to return to school this season.
The Naismith Award is presented by the Atlanta Tipoff Club and will be presented on April 7, 2013, in Atlanta.
The Wooden Award is presented by the Los Angeles Athletic Club and will handed out the weekend of April 12-13, 2013, in Los Angeles.

Everybody’s All-AmericanDoug McDermott hauled All-America honors on a regular basis last year.
He was named a First Team All-American by the Associated Press, NABC, USBWA, Basketball Times and ESPN.com, and a second-team selection by The Sporting News and CBSSports.com. He was also named to the 10-man John R. Wooden Award All-America team.
Prior to McDermott, the only other player honored by the USBWA with All-America status had been second-team selection Kyle Korver in 2003, and the only prior NABC selections from Creighton had been second-teamer Paul Silas (1964) and third-team selections Benoit Benjamin (1985) and Kyle Korver (2003).
Last year McDermott was named CollegeInsider.com’s Lute Olson National Player of the Year. He was also a finalist for the Naismith and Wooden Award, though Anthony Davis won both awards.

Scoring In NumbersDoug McDermott owned 801 points in 35 games last year, an average of 22.9 per contest that ranked him third nationally in scoring.
McDermott’s 22.9 points per game ranked fourth-most in CU single-season history and were the most since Bob Portman averaged 26.2 points per game in 1968-69.
Portman, who finished fifth nationally in scoring in 1967-68 (29.5 ppg.), was the only previous Bluejay to ever rank in the top-10 of the year-end scoring leaders.
McDermott’s 22.9 points per game made him the first MVC player over 20 points per game since Illinois State’s Tarise Bryson (2000-01) and the most by a MVC player since Northern Iowa’s Randy Blocker (23.0 ppg.) in 1993-94. Bryson had been the only MVC player since 1989 to rank in the top-five nationally in scoring.
No Bluejay had averaged more than 20 points per game since Bob Harstad’s 22.2 average in 1989-90.

Oscar, Bird, DougDoug McDermott set a Creighton (and MVC) record for points by a freshman with 581 in 2010-11. Last season, McDermott had 801 points, the most single-season points in school history by any player.
McDermott’s 1,382 points after two seasons were the most in school history by a player in their first two seasons, passing Bob Portman (1,195). According to STATS Inc., the only other players since 1996-97 with at least 1,382 points or more by the end of their sophomore season had been Davidson’s Stephen Curry (1,661 points from 2006-08), Eastern Washington’s Rodney Stuckey (1,438 points from 2005-07) and VMI’s Keydren Clark (1,497 points from 2002-04).
He became just the third sophomore in MVC history to reach 800 points in a season, trailing only Oscar Robertson and Larry Bird on that list. His 801 points from last year rank 10th-most in MVC single-season history and were the most by any Valley player since 1988.
Below is a list of the most prolific sophomore scorers in MVC history, as well as the top single-season scorers in Creighton history (all classes):
Top Scorers, MVC History (All Years)
Pts. Name, School Years
1125 Hersey Hawkins, Bradley 1987-88
1011 Oscar Robertson, Cincinnati 1959-60
984 Oscar Robertson, Cincinnati 1957-58
978 Oscar Robertson, Cincinnati 1958-59
973 Larry Bird, Indiana State 1978-79
959 Larry Bird, Indiana State 1977-78
918 Larry Bird, Indiana State 1976-77
844 Xavier McDaniel, Wichita State 1984-85
815 Lewis Lloyd, Drake 1979-80
801 Doug McDermott, Creighton 2011-12
788 Hersey Hawkins, Bradley 1986-87
788 Willie Biles, Tulsa 1972-73

Familiar Fives
Creighton utilized the same starting line-up all season long in 2011-12, as Gregory Echenique, Doug McDermott, Grant Gibbs, Jahenns Manigat and Antoine Young started all 35 games.
According to STATS Inc., the only schools with the same starting five every game were Creighton, Missouri, Nevada, Wisconsin and Youngstown State.
Of those five schools above, the only team to use the same starting five for every game in 2012-13 is Creighton.

Last Season Recap
Creighton went 29-6 and reached the third round of the MVC Tournament last season. Creighton started the year 7-0 to move into the Associated Press top-25, a spot they would hold for 12 of the final 15 weeks.Doug McDermott ranked third nationally in scoring (22.9), scoring a school-record 801 points. He became the first sophomore named MVC Player of the Year and was a consensus First Team All-American.
Point guard Antoine Young (12.1 ppg., 4.5 apg.) was a second-team all-Valley pick, while center Gregory Echenique (9.7 ppg., 7.3 rpg., 1.6 bpg.) was named MVC Defensive Player of the Year. In addition, Grant Gibbs was runner-up for MVC Newcomer of the Year accolades after dishing a league-high 176 assists.
The Jays ranked second nationally in field goal percentage (.504), third in three-point percentage (.424), fifth in assists (17.6), sixth in home attendance (16,665) and ninth in scoring offense (79.2).
Creighton finished the regular-season second in the MVC before winning its league-record 11th Valley Tournament title to clinch an NCAA bid. At the NCAA’s, Creighton topped Alabama 58-57 before falling to No. 4 North Carolina.

Creighton Will Host in 2015, Again
The NCAA announced on Nov. 12, 2012, that Creighton will serve as the host institution on March 20/22, 2015, when the NCAA Men’s Basketball Tournament returns to CenturyLink Center Omaha for second/third-round games.
This will be the third time in a seven-year span the arena has hosted, having previously done so in 2008 and 2012 to much acclaim.
CenturyLink Center Omaha has previously hosted NCAA finals for women’s volleyball (2006, 2008) and wrestling (2010), as well as the U.S. Olympic Team Trials for Swimming (2008, 2012). This January, it will host the U.S. Figure Skating Championships.

Ticket Information
Single-game tickets for the 2012-13 season went on sale on October 29th at 10 am.
Fans can purchase single-game tickets at CenturyLink Center Omaha Box Office, Ryan Athletic Center, all Ticketmaster locations (Baker’s, Younkers), Ticketmaster online at http://www.ticketmaster.com or by calling Ticketmaster and charging by phone at (800) 745-3000. Only upper bowl seats will be available for any game and cost is $12 for adults and $8 for youth ages 3-18 (children two and under are free). For more information, call the Creighton Ticket Office at (402) 280-JAYS.

Shuttle Service Provided Again
Chief Bus will provide complimentary shuttle service from the Creighton University campus to CenturyLink Center Omaha for all men’s basketball home games this season. The service is available to all fans, not just Creighton students.
The shuttle will start 75 minutes before tip-off and shuttles will continue to operate the route during the game. The three designated stops for pick-up around the CU campus are: 24th & California (nearside/southbound); 20th & Cass (nearside/eastbound) and at Billy Blues Alumni Grill (outside the Mike & Josie Harper Center in the turnaround which is on the east side of the building).
The shuttle will then go eastbound on Capitol Avenue and then go north up 10th Street for drop-off at the CenturyLink Center Omaha convention center entrance. The route is designed for each shuttle driver to make a roundtrip every 15 minutes.
Following the game’s conclusion, the shuttle will start at the CenturyLink Center Omaha convention center entrance on 10th Street and loop the original route with the first of three stops at 24th & California Streets.